Journalists charged on factual reportage
By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Nigerian journalists have been urged to be alive to their responsibilities by ensuring that the public get factual accounts of events as they occurred at all times.
Chairman, Sobi FM Chapel of the Kwara state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Dare Akogun, gave the charge on Tuesday at the maiden press week of the Chapel held at the premises of the Radio station, Ilorin, the state capital.
The epoch making event, which commenced on Monday, featured medical examination and health talk for members of the chapel and other staff of the station, among others.
The grand finale of the Maiden Press Week, themed: ‘The Role of Media in Combating Fake News and Disinformation’, featured lectures and Awards, among others.
Akogun said: “We are in an era where all manner of information are accessible on social media, hence it has become necessary for journalists to be educated, skilled, and well equipped in the art of facts’ checking.”
He lamented that the license to freedom of information has been abused with the inflows of fake news, particularly through the social media.
He added: “Journalism, information technology and the public are the major driving forces of misinformation, while advancement in technology has added speed in fake news dissemination which has contributed largely in making verifying information much more challenging.
“We are in an era where all manner of information are accessible on social media. It has become necessary for journalists to become educated, skilled, and well equipped in the art of facts’ checking.
“Security remains a major global challenge as it is also in Nigeria, but unlike what obtained in the pre-independence period, security problems escalated partly due to the diverse nature of the country and the escalating number of untrue information in the media space which mostly influence people’s decision making.
“The trends leading to this situation are reversible if serious proactive and sustained measures could be adopted by the media in being alive to its responsibilities of being the gatekeepers of Information and ensuring that the public get factual accounts of events at all times.
“If the Nigerian nation is to be developed, there must be an army of media practitioners who conduct fact check and are broad minded enough to campaign for justice, equity and fairness beyond narrow group interests.
“Therefore, a major challenge of nation-building in Nigeria revolves around how to produce truly national media practitioners who will be at the forefront of the fight against fake news or disinformation that sneak into the media space.”
He also disclosed that training and retraining of journalists in the Council would not only help in promoting credible information dissemination in Kwara state and Nigeria as a whole but also equip media practitioners in carrying out their core mandate of giving the right information to the people.
In his remarks, the State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Segun Adeyemi, commended Sobi FM for the choice of an apt topic for discussion which he said couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Fake news and misinformation are the major factors contributing to the crises bedevilling the nation at the moment, and as an agency, we are always happy when the media is joining us in the fight against the menace.
“NOA is ready to partner with the media and other private organizations to lead the fight against fake news or misinformation in order to have a peaceful and united nation,” he said.
Highlights of the event were the Awards of Excellence given to three deserving individuals in Kwara State. They are Dr. Saudat Abdulbaqi, founder of Adeslam Properties, Odukoya Adeola and the Chairman of Evergreen, Prince Adeniyi Idowu.
Dignitaries at the event include the Director, Corporate Affairs, University of Ilorin, Mr Kunle Akogun, Treasurer of the state Council of NUJ, Hajia Monsurat Kannike, members of the Correspondents Chapel led by their Chairman, Hakeem Garuba, among others.